Bitcoin Poker Guide |
|
Bitcoin and stablecoins have made it super easy to play real money online poker from anywhere in the world. The United States' draconian anti-gambling laws have made things very difficult for US poker players in recent years. Thankfully those days seem to be coming to an end thanks to bitcoin and Tether. It is now possible to create an anonymous account at any of these bitcoin poker rooms and start playing instantly. Some bitcoin and stablecoin poker sites are joining major poker networks which means you will find plenty of traffic at all levels. These poker rooms allow you to play crypto mobile poker on iOS/Android and offer tournaments, Sit N Go's and a wide range of Omaha and Hold'em cash games. Poker players from Australia should read our guide to the best Australian poker rooms.
The first cryptocurrency poker rooms only supported bitcoin but we are glad to report that most of the online poker room featured on this site also offer deposits and withdrawals with Ethereum, Litecoin, Tether, USDC Coin and DAI. Bitcoin-only poker rooms like SwC Poker and Nitrogen Poker allow you to anonymously create your poker account without having to provide any identification. We also rank and review popular bitcoin and Tether friendly poker sites like Americas Cardroom and Bovada Poker because they are on high-traffic poker networks that offer rakeback, better PC/Mac poker software, low rake, huge bonuses and a wide variety of real money poker variants.
The first cryptocurrency poker rooms only supported bitcoin but we are glad to report that most of the online poker room featured on this site also offer deposits and withdrawals with Ethereum, Litecoin, Tether, USDC Coin and DAI. Bitcoin-only poker rooms like SwC Poker and Nitrogen Poker allow you to anonymously create your poker account without having to provide any identification. We also rank and review popular bitcoin and Tether friendly poker sites like Americas Cardroom and Bovada Poker because they are on high-traffic poker networks that offer rakeback, better PC/Mac poker software, low rake, huge bonuses and a wide variety of real money poker variants.
|
Bovada Poker - Bovada.lvBovada Poker ONLY accept players from the United States and Latin American countries. They are the largest online poker room for real money players in the United States and also run a popular online sportsbook and casinos.
|
Americas Cardroom
Americas Cardroom is a high-traffic online poker room that now accepts BTC. ACR are fully licensed in Cyprus.
|
BetOnline Poker
BetOnline is a popular bitcoin friendly sportsbook and poker room for US players. Licensed and based in Panama.
|
Ignition Poker
Ignition Casino & Cardroom share the same player pool as both Bodog and Bovada. It opened in August 2016.
|
Popular Articles & Topics
6 Tips For Choosing A Bitcoin Poker Room
Everyone agrees that online poker players in the United States stand to benefit the most from gambling with BTC. Even though poker is technically a game of skill and should be exempt from anti-gambling laws, U.S. authorities have gone to a great deal of effort to close U.S. friendly poker rooms like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. Thankfully bitcoin poker rooms do not need the cooperation of U.S. banks and credit card companies and are able to welcome real-money players from the USA, Europe, Asia, Russia, Australia, Canada and the UK. Here are a few things you should look for when choosing a poker room that accepts bitcoin.
- Large Player Pools
You just need to Google "bitcoin poker" to find dozens of bitcoin friendly poker sites. Unfortunately, most of these rooms have very little traffic so it's not worth wasting your time setting up an account. For this reason, we only recommend sites where you'll find busy tables at all levels, both day and night. Currently the biggest poker networks for crypto players are the Chico Poker Network, the Winning Poker Network and the Pai Wang Luo network. - Mobile Poker
Mobile poker is hugely popular now thanks to the ubiquitous nature of smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone. Despite this, some poker rooms that accept cryptocurrencies have still not developed a real money app that will work on any iOS, Windows Phone or Android device. If you're a fan of mobile gaming then you should check that the poker room offers native or web-apps. Some major poker apps like Bovada Mobile now offer Sit & Go tournaments and other advanced features. - U.S. & Australia Friendly
Bizarrely, some bitcoin gambling sites do not accept real money poker players from the USA or Australia so it's always wise to check first. Poker rooms that welcome U.S. players have more traffic and softer competition making them the ideal choice for any serious player. Ignition is an Australian poker room that is part of a busy poker network, offers fast and reliable poker software for PC or Mac and offers huge $100k guaranteed poker tournaments. American poker players will also be glad to hear that they can once again play real money poker at U.S. friendly Bovada poker. - Low Rake
Bitcoin only poker rooms have much lower overheads that regular online poker rooms so there are generally able to offer lower rake rates on cash game and tournament. Major offshore poker rooms like Americas Cardroom and Bovada charge the standard 4% to 5% rake but crypto-exclusive sites like SwC offer significantly lower rake. - Free Deposit & Withdrawals
Once you start gambling with bitcoin you should never have to pay crazy deposit fees to Visa or Mastercard again. BTC withdrawals should also be processed free of charge. We recommend avoiding any BTC poker site that tries to charge you to use their cashier facilities. All the poker rooms featured on this site charge nothing to make a deposit or withdrawal using cryptocurrencies. - Choose A Poker Room That Accepts Stablecoins
In the early days of cryptocurrency gambling, most poker rooms and sportsbooks only accepted crypto's like Bitcoin, Ethereum and maybe Litecoin. However, over the the past few years stablecoins like Tether and Binance Coin have gained popularity because these coins are linked in value to fiat currencies like the dollar or euro so you don't have to deal with wild price fluctuations when it comes time to buy or sell. Thankfully many real-money poker sites like Bovada Poker and BetOnline Poker now accept stablecoins like Tether and USD Coin for both deposits and withdrawals.
Frequently Asked Questions
The world of cryptocurrencies can be a little daunting for the uninitiated so we've put together a list of some common questions that keep cropping up. If you have any specific question relating to crypto poker that are not answered here, please contact us and we'll give you our informed opinion.
CAN I PLAY POKER GAMES BESIDES TEXAS HOLD'EM AND OMAHA?
Yes, absolutely. For example, Americas Cardroom offer 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, and 32 Card Draw. SwC Poker offers Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, Badugi and Badacey. Basically any type of poker variant you can find at sites like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker or PartyPoker, are also now available at crypto gambling sites.
ARE POKER TOURNAMENTS AVAILABLE?
Right now if you play at the cryptocurrency poker rooms listed on this site you will be able to take part in Sit & Go's, On Demand Tournaments, MTT's, Satellite Tournaments, Rebuy Tournaments, Final Table Experience, Bounty Tournaments, Flip Tournaments, Freeroll Tournaments, All-In-Or-Fold and many more. Most sites offer weekly and monthly tournaments with guaranteed prize pools of over $100,000.
IS BITCOIN POKER LEGAL?
In most countries online poker is perfectly legal. If governments want to prevent their citizens from gambling online, they make it illegal for the countries banks and credit card companies to interact with offshore gambling operators. They rarely target citizens themselves because it would be too difficult to prosecute hundreds of thousands of online players. However, we recommend that you check the legality of online poker in your country or jurisdiction before you start playing online with BTC, ETH, XMR, LTC or any cryptocurrency.
ARE FREEROLL TOURNAMENTS AVAILABLE?
Freerolls are a great way to try out poker software without risking any of your own money. Most rooms offer New Player Freerolls worth thousands of dollars and they're open to anyone who has made a first deposit. Sites like Ignition Poker run weekly $2,500 freerolls that are open to all their players. Even crypto-exclusive poker rooms like Seals With Clubs (SwC) run hourly freerolls (although the prizepools are tiny).
CAN I TRUST BITCOIN POKER ROOMS?
If you decide to play online poker with Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero or Bitcoin, you will most likely be playing at a well established offshore site like Americas Cardroom or Bovada Poker. These sites are part of major poker networks that have been operating for well over a decade and servicing players from countries like the USA, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom without any problems. In general, most cryptocurrency poker rooms are licensed and regulated in countries like Malta, Antigua, Curaçao, Panama and Montenegro so they are operating legally.
CAN I PLAY POKER GAMES BESIDES TEXAS HOLD'EM AND OMAHA?
Yes, absolutely. For example, Americas Cardroom offer 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, and 32 Card Draw. SwC Poker offers Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, Badugi and Badacey. Basically any type of poker variant you can find at sites like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker or PartyPoker, are also now available at crypto gambling sites.
ARE POKER TOURNAMENTS AVAILABLE?
Right now if you play at the cryptocurrency poker rooms listed on this site you will be able to take part in Sit & Go's, On Demand Tournaments, MTT's, Satellite Tournaments, Rebuy Tournaments, Final Table Experience, Bounty Tournaments, Flip Tournaments, Freeroll Tournaments, All-In-Or-Fold and many more. Most sites offer weekly and monthly tournaments with guaranteed prize pools of over $100,000.
IS BITCOIN POKER LEGAL?
In most countries online poker is perfectly legal. If governments want to prevent their citizens from gambling online, they make it illegal for the countries banks and credit card companies to interact with offshore gambling operators. They rarely target citizens themselves because it would be too difficult to prosecute hundreds of thousands of online players. However, we recommend that you check the legality of online poker in your country or jurisdiction before you start playing online with BTC, ETH, XMR, LTC or any cryptocurrency.
ARE FREEROLL TOURNAMENTS AVAILABLE?
Freerolls are a great way to try out poker software without risking any of your own money. Most rooms offer New Player Freerolls worth thousands of dollars and they're open to anyone who has made a first deposit. Sites like Ignition Poker run weekly $2,500 freerolls that are open to all their players. Even crypto-exclusive poker rooms like Seals With Clubs (SwC) run hourly freerolls (although the prizepools are tiny).
CAN I TRUST BITCOIN POKER ROOMS?
If you decide to play online poker with Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero or Bitcoin, you will most likely be playing at a well established offshore site like Americas Cardroom or Bovada Poker. These sites are part of major poker networks that have been operating for well over a decade and servicing players from countries like the USA, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom without any problems. In general, most cryptocurrency poker rooms are licensed and regulated in countries like Malta, Antigua, Curaçao, Panama and Montenegro so they are operating legally.
